Kill

He's tight on his guard; I wasn’t expecting that. I have to break the ice somehow.

Shina and Hatake have been walking towards the other side of the forest; it's already been thirty minutes, and neither of them has even spoken to each other. Perhaps he isn't as naive as they expected him to be.

“What is your name? You never told me,” her voice was just above a whisper.

Hatake glances to his side. “I'm Hatake. That's how you can call me. Can I ask a question?”

“A question,” she replied.

Hatake nods. “Why are you planning to kill me, or let me rephrase that, why would they say you are going to kill me?”

Expecting this was obvious, I can explain a fake power, perhaps, or just tell the truth; I would rather not expose myself, especially to someone I plan to kill, however.

“I can’t control my strength. It's pretty hard not to hit anything with excessive force.” Her voice was strict and monotone.

Hatake stops before leaning next to a tree. They were in a pretty covered area, just bushes and trees surrounding them. The most prominent colours are brown and green in all directions.

“Show me, and I will believe you,” he demanded.

Shina let out a fake smile. “Sure, just watch.”

She approaches one of the trees opposite Hatake; she looks at it before taking out her wrist towards the tree, her uniform stretching to its limit as her eyes focus on the target. With a precise hit, she strikes towards the trunk.

The tree shook uncontrollably before a multitude of cracks and tremors were heard. In a span of a couple of seconds, the tree starts pivoting towards the other way of her punch until eventually snapping down from the pressure, causing the birds to fly away in the distance from the impending sound.

“That is my ability; if I don't hold myself back, I might knock you out or more.” Her red eyes stared at Hatake. He merely stayed silent and nodded in affirmation.

“That's good to know then. He leans off the tree before continuing to walk. However, the dynamic of their walk shifted; he felt more at ease and closer to her, knowing she wouldn't randomly kill him.

Actions do speak louder than words, I suppose.

They continue walking, Shina always listening closely to her surroundings and towards Hatake, her enhanced hearing from Kazu proving to be a useful survival tool.

Minutes later, Shina asked in a monotone voice, hinting with curiosity, “Why did you pick me, knowing you could die?”

“Because. You're my type; it means you are a strong person and that there is definitely another side to you than just a killer in you.”

Shina scoffed, “You saying I'm your type after just not trusting me is really unattractive.”

“Right, sorry.” For the first time, Hatake knew even as himself that he overstepped a line.

The two seemed to be warming up to each other, at least in a slow way.

I have plenty of time; we are not even at the river yet. I just need to make sure not to mess up. Should I fake being a damsel in distress, or is that too much, perhaps a compliment?

“Hey Hatake, can I ask why you have such a primal style to yourself? Your clothing, your hair, your personality,” she made her eyes bigger, her voice higher and tilted herself to the side. It was a perfect imitation of curiosity.

He laughs loudly. “That's because that's how we all lived so far ago. I can't name it; I want to return to how our ancestors lived. Society is sickening to me with its lies and greed.”

“That's rather unexpected, but you have a point.” She gave a wide smile towards him despite not caring for a single word he said.

She puts her finger on her chin, feigning thought. “Maybe I would like to try living in the wild too one day; I'm not really an outdoor person. I don't talk to people, and my skills must be bad.”

"Don't be so negative, Shina. “Here, let me teach you a thing.” He reaches down the side of his plain clothing, revealing a small pocket knife.

I'm surprised he thought this far. A knife. I'm glad I didn't go in earlier.

Shina steps back a bit, seeming frustrated. “Are you planning to stab me…”

“Of course not. Look, come here.” He approaches a nearby tree; there are plenty of options.

He starts carving out the side of the tree. This wasn’t a short task; he took minutes stabbing at the tree with no avail before he smiled and backed away.

He points to a translucent liquid coming out of the tree. “This is tree sap; you might have seen it before, but if you look towards any wounds, there might already be some leaking. Make sure to use that spot to get the sap.”

“What could it be used for?” She takes a step closer to the tree, her eyes scanning the sap. There was a slight, genuine curiosity in her now.

He lets out a smirk, flexing his knowledge of specificity. “It can be used to start a fire or wounds, but don't grab it; it's pretty sticky.”

Lure him, trap him, kill him.

A broken voice spoke within her.

“Can I have the knife? I want to cut deeper.” Shina put her hand out; it was rather pleading.

Hatake looks down at her. There was a hint of suspicion still, but he knew a knife wouldn't kill him with his easy run-away tactic.

“Sure, use that power of yours to make it seep out.” He moves aside, letting Shina strike at the tree.

She takes the knife, stabbing it into the hole and moving it around. Her brute power was forcing the tree to part way from the inside for her; it was highly unrealistic due to the strong tree trunk, but she seemed to surpass it.

After cutting for a minute, she lets her hand out; it was covered in a sticky sap, drenching her hand and the knife.

This will work as well.

Turning towards Hatake, she gives off a frown. “Can you help me… I think I might be stuck.”

“Of course you're stuck; your hand is covered in sap.” He takes a step closer, analysing the situation at hand. He touches her hand slightly, seeing the density. It was pretty severe, but enough water could fix it.

“Ah,” she let out a gasp as she tripped herself down towards Hatake. Out of instinct, he grabbed her and held her near his chest. Her hand was fully stuck now to his clothing, and she even managed to go through the basic material.

That should do it; now we just have to find a way to make him unable to just escape.

Her flickering death plan continued; Shina herself kept convincing herself that she had to do this for the goddess.